A critical discourse analysis of newspaper reporting of the run-up to the 1997 Kenyan general election

English: This research examines and analyses the reportage, in the Kenyan print media, of the run-up to the 1997 general elections. The analysis aimed at the identification and explanation of how ideology is realized and conveyed in the language use of newspapers. Consequently, more emphasis was placed on how ideological discourse is constructed, thus bringing to the fore the relation between discourse and ideology. Through the analysis of selected headlines and editorial articles in the three Kenyan newspapers (Daily Nation, East African Standard and Kenya Times) it became evident that certain linguistic choices played a fundamental role in the propagation and perpetuation of implicit and dominant ideologies. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a framework to analyse various discursive patterns such as metaphors, lexis, transitivity etc., it has emerged that there are certain ideological differences that are conveyed either tacitly or overtly in newspaper reporting. The study comprises of seven chapters. Chapter one is an introduction to the study. The chapter highlights the problem under investigation paying particular attention to the objectives intended to be achieved, the justification, hypotheses and the method used. A description of the theory used in data analysis is provided in chapter two. The basic tenets of CDA as an analytical framework are outlined. Emphasis is also placed on certain aspects of Functional Grammar which have an influence on Critical Linguistics. There is also a discussion on the pragmatic and cognitive approaches to the study of metaphor. Lastly, the major themes that have informed the study of CDA such as language and ideology, language and power, political linguistics and language and the media are addressed. Chapter three explores the political background of Kenya after independence and prior to the 1997 general election. The historical development of the three Kenyan newspapers is also situated within this chapter. The concept of ideological square and its varied manifestations in the data through syntactic, semantic and stylistic means is the subject matter of chapter four. Chapter five embodies the role of lexical choices in projecting an ideology. The role of adjectives, verbs and nouns in determining newspapers' ideological positions as attested in the data is covered in this chapter. The role and function of various cognitive metaphors as realized in the data are accounted for in chapter six. Chapter seven consists of conclusions and recommendations. A synthesis of the findings in data analysis and the recommendations emanating there from is provided.